MAKE A DIFFERENCE

While life’s not easy as a small west Ukrainian landowner, the Krupskyy family’s made great strides. As Oleh says: “You can’t get rich from the land, but you can live off it.” And it’s obvious that the whole family enjoys a rare richness of life from their labours.

Mission Without Borders has supported the family for some years and admires their achievements to date. Although known as the bread-basket of Europe due to its rich, fertile soil, small Ukrainian farmers are held back by banks’ reluctance to finance them. This is the reason Oleh’s land has not been cultivated for decades. A broken tractor is among this passionate farmer’s latest setbacks. “It is very old, and partly self-made. Finding and buying new parts is unaffordable. I must rent or borrow a tractor when I need it,” sighs Oleh. “With the right equipment we could cultivate so much more.”

The couple was out of work when they enrolled in the Mission’s Family 2 Family program. They lived in one room, had few possessions, and are now pulling together to create a new life.

Mission Without Borders and the local church empowered them to make renovations, providing furniture, ‘big white’ appliances, building materials, and seeds. This formed the foundation and capacity to achieve what they are doing now.

To extend the farm’s capacity, friends helped make bricks and build a new, more spacious shed that will house up to ten cows. “Now our two cows produce about 25 litres of milk a day. We sell some and from the rest make cheese, butter and sour cream for ourselves,” Oleh states proudly.

“We cultivate three of our hectares, learning as we go along. “Last year’s harvest of grain, potatoes and beets was good − 700 kg of oats, half a ton of wheat and half a ton of triticale (a hybrid cross between wheat and rye).

Oleh is an expert beekeeper who tends 21 hives, which yielded 70 litres of honey this year. They sold half and used the rest.

For farmers there is no state support. “But we do have God whom we can trust,” exclaims Oleh fervently. “We pray for all who help us and for those who need our help.” Farmers like Oleh dream about the change and reforms that are badly needed in Ukraine.

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